NICE recommends drug for breast cancer treatment

NICE has updated its guidance surrounding the treatment of post-menopausal women with a family history of breast cancer, stating that they should be offered anastrozole.

It was demonstrated in new evidence that if 1,000 post-menopausal women at a high risk of breast cancer took anastrozole for 5 years, 35 cases of breast cancer would be prevented compared with 21 if they had been administered tamoxifen.

“The evidence examined by the committee suggests anastrozole will not only reduce the number of breast cancer cases in post-menopausal women compared to tamoxifen, but it is also a more cost-effective option,” stated Mark Baker, director of the centre for guidelines at NICE. With the current list price of anastrozole at £1.19 for 28 tablets Baker noted that this is good news for women and for NHS budgets.

It is recommended that anastrozole be offered to post-menopausal women at high or moderate risk of breast cancer for 5 years unless they have severe osteoporosis. However, women at high risk of breast cancer who have not yet been through the menopause should still be offered tamoxifen, according to Nice’s guidance.